Forestview QB enjoying breakout season

Published: Thursday, October 11, 2012 at 11:37 PM.

GASTONIA — Forestview coach Chris Medlin has been optimistic about quarterback Logan Bradley for a long time, and people are starting to see why.

After easing into the varsity level last season as a sophomore behind a pair of 1,000-yard running backs, Bradley has become the leader for one of the area’s prolific offenses.

“I feel like I have a whole lot more responsibility,” Bradley said. “It’s a lot more pressure than last year, but I like pressure.”

That much is obvious as Bradley has thrived in his expanded role.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound junior has passed for 1,402 yards and 21 touchdowns while completing 63.5 percent of his passes. His touchdown total leads the Big South 3A Conference by far (next-best is 13) while his 175.3-yard average ranks third.

Those total are up sharply from his 642 yards and six touchdowns passing last year. The Jaguars focused on the running game out of the I-formation last season before switching to the spread in the offseason.

“Last year it was a good experience getting me familiar with the game speed,” Bradley said. “To help our team win, I need to be more of a leader now.”

GASTONIA — Forestview coach Chris Medlin has been optimistic about quarterback Logan Bradley for a long time, and people are starting to see why.

After easing into the varsity level last season as a sophomore behind a pair of 1,000-yard running backs, Bradley has become the leader for one of the area’s prolific offenses.

“I feel like I have a whole lot more responsibility,” Bradley said. “It’s a lot more pressure than last year, but I like pressure.”

That much is obvious as Bradley has thrived in his expanded role.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound junior has passed for 1,402 yards and 21 touchdowns while completing 63.5 percent of his passes. His touchdown total leads the Big South 3A Conference by far (next-best is 13) while his 175.3-yard average ranks third.

Those total are up sharply from his 642 yards and six touchdowns passing last year. The Jaguars focused on the running game out of the I-formation last season before switching to the spread in the offseason.

“Last year it was a good experience getting me familiar with the game speed,” Bradley said. “To help our team win, I need to be more of a leader now.”

Bradley has the advantage of numerous weapons. In fact, the Jaguars boast four of the Big South’s top 12 receivers. Mykelti Armstrong leads the Jaguars at 585 yards or 73.1 yards per game (second in the Big South) with a league-high 10 touchdowns. Moe Neal (287 yards, 3 TDs), C.J. Bumgarner (251 yards, 2 TDs) and Calvin Johnson (247 yards, 4 TDs) are close behind.

Forestview coach Chris Medlin said his quarterback has been sacked only a handful of times as lineman Josh Mills, Chaviaus Floyd, Steven Bartlett, Zach Privette and Kaleb Hayes have done their jobs well.

“It all starts up front,” Bradley said. “I’ve had great blocking all year. I’ve had a lot of time to throw the ball, been able to go through all my reads and find the open receiver. We also have great playmakers. Everybody’s a threat catching the ball.”

As a result, Forestview owns a 5-3 record and has virtually guaranteed a playoff spot, but the Jaguars are 1-2 in the Big South entering a crucial home game Friday against rival Ashbrook (4-3, 2-2).